Plan. Collaborate. Deliver: Building Capacity for Behavioral Health to Support the Whole Child

Youth substance use prevention and early intervention is essential and embedded within the components of the Whole Child model, yet it is often treated punitively and in isolation—representing a substantial missed opportunity to change youth trajectories and improve lifelong health outcomes. At the same time, schools are being asked to do more with less, expanding their role far beyond academics to include health, mental health, and social supports. This reality demands that we think critically and intentionally about how to build infrastructure and capacity to meet students’ behavioral health needs in sustainable, collaborative ways. This session focuses on practical strategies for improving behavioral health service delivery capacity in schools through collaboration, planning, and resource access. Grounded in implementation research and practice, we will share lessons learned from piloting an implementation blueprint for Tier 1 substance use prevention (Michigan Model for Health: MMH), which help schools adapt evidence-based programs to real-world conditions. We also collectively explore how to improve multi-tiered, integrated substance use/misuse interventions as an alternative to discipline in support of whole child health and well-being. Participants will leave with actionable tools to strengthen partnerships, assess needs, and take steps toward creating responsive systems that support the whole child. Learning Objectives By the end of this session, participants will be able to: Describe how implementation science informs behavioral health service delivery in schools. Identify essential components of an implementation blueprint for multi-tiered behavioral health services. Analyze barriers and facilitators to collaboration across school and community systems. Apply strategies to assess needs and capacities for whole-child health initiatives. Develop an initial action step for integrating behavioral health interventions in their own school or district. Interactive Learning Opportunities Case Scenarios: Small groups will review real-world examples from RAPD and RAPID projects and brainstorm adaptations for their own settings. Needs & Capacity Mapping: Participants will complete a quick self-assessment using a simplified blueprint tool. Collaborative Problem-Solving: Groups will identify barriers to resource access and propose solutions using a “meet schools where they are” approach. Live Polling & Reflection: Use tools like Mentimeter or Microsoft Forms to gauge familiarity and gather input on challenges faced.